Description

The best Parmigiano Reggiano with a greater intensity and persistency.

In the heart of the Reggiano Appennines, in a place called Canossa, Montanari & Gruzza breeds its own Red Cows in the shade of the medieval castle that used to be the theatre of epic events linked to the famous Countess Matilde (just think that at that time the Reggiana race was already grazing there!).
In this marvellous natural scenario, in the company-owned dairy, the “Red Cows” milk is transformed into purity, enhancing its extraordinary qualitative properties.

Parmigiano Reggiano of the “Red Cows” has some obvious characteristics that identify it such as the typical straw-yellow coloured curds and not white as the cows eat hay and grass from the meadows where many different species grow in the Reggiano territory, which can have up to 150 different types; the curds are minutely grainy, breaking off in flakes and with tiny holes. To the palate it has all the sensory characteristics of the best Parmigiano Reggiano with a greater intensity and persistency especially if left to mature for a long time which is typical of this type of cheese.
 
Worldwide known as the “King of Cheeses” it’s recommended for the daily diet of all  people. It is one of the few foods all naturally made, without any additives! Only milk, rennet and a little salt!

Unbeatable when it is grated on pasta, rice and soups, even the rind can be added to soups and cream of vegetable soups; it’s excellent as a table cheese with its full and delicate flavour; It’s great eaten alone or with vegetables and fruits such as pears, apples, figs, grapes, peaches, kiwi and nuts. To delight the most discerning palates it is  delicious with the balsamic vinegar.
Do not forget to enjoy it with an aperitif!

Parmigiano-Reggiano is the only cheese that can withstand, with no added additives, a long  maturing that enhance its organoleptic qualities. Calcium, phosphorus and amino acids are the main nutrients: they are easily digested and therefore they are recommended in everyone’s diet, from childhood to old age.
Parmigiano-Reggiano is also ideal for people with lactose intolerance. The lactose  is transformed into lactic acid at the very beginning of the maturation process as part of the process of lowering the acidity level of the cheese as a whole, this being an essentially part of the production process. The above findings have been backed up by laboratory experiments that have confirmed the parameters of concentrated lactose at between 0 and 0.39 mg/100g equivalent to 0.1 mg/100kcal. As a consequence Parmigiano-Reggiano can without any doubt be considered a lactose free food. (Source: Parmigiano Reggiano Safeguarding Consortium)

History.  The “King of cheeses” has ancient origins: it was first made several hundred years ago at the Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries in the area between the Po river and the Apennine mountains. The monks had much cattle, necessary to produce this wonderful cheese sixteen litres of milk  are used to make 1 Kilo of Parmigiano-Reggiano).

How it’s made.  Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is still  produced as eight centuries ago with natural craft method. The dairies use the perfectly healthy milk of cows which are mainly fed  with fodder grown in the area of origin, which includes  the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna (left of the Reno river) and Mantua (south of the Po river). The feeding of cattle complies with the norms of a strict specification that bans the use of silage and fermented feeds.
The whole milk from the morning milking is added to the skimmed milk from the night before, and then is poured into the typical bell-shaped copper  cauldrons. The calf rennet and the fermented whey, rich in natural lactic ferments, curdle the milk in a few minutes. After being broken down into minuscule granules using a traditional tool called “spino”, the curd is cooked at a temperature of 55 degrees centigrade. The cheese mass that sinks to the bottom is removed after about 30 minutes, cut into two parts  and wrapped in a typical cloth, and then it is put into a “fascera”, a mould which will give it its final shape.
A casein plate with a unique, progressive number is put on each cheese, in this way we can know the origin of each wheel of cheese. The cheese is then immersed in a water and salt-saturated solution for about a month. The cheese wheels are placed on wooden tables for a natural drying and maturing.
After twelve months the experts of the Safeguarding Consortium examine each cheese one by one to verify if they meet the PDO requirements.

Guarantees. Parmigiano-Reggiano production  is regulated and controlled by law by the Consortium  of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Raw milk, no additives, natural lactic ferments, minimum 12 months of aging process: these are the basic elements to meet the  PDO requirements (Protected Designation of Origin recognized by the European Union) A mark is fire-branded onto the individual cheeses : this is the moment of selection and the granting of a certificate of absolute guarantee for the product.

Nutritional values
for 100g of Parmigiano-Reggiano
Water g 30.8 – Protein g 33 – Sodium Chloride g 1.36 – Fat g 28.4 – Calcium mg 1160 – Phosphorus mg 680 – Sodium mg 650 – Potassium mg 100 – Magnesium  mg 43  – Zinc  4 mg – Vitamin A  270  mcg – Vitamin B1  mcg34 – Vitamin B2  mcg 370 – Vitamin B6  mcg110 – Vitamin B12 mcg4.2 – Vitamin PP  mcg55 – Choline  mcg40 – Biotin mcg 23 – Pantothenic Acid mcg 320